A coronation stone is a stone which has taken part in the ceremony of a monarch’s coronation . These stones were primarily used in medieval Europe, but historical examples exist throughout the world. Stones believed to have been used as coronation stones still exist, but public figures and historians argue about their authenticity and use today. Some are considered by historians to have been invented in the early modern period .
26-413: While there does not appear to be a single common source, the origins of most coronation stones are associated with legends with connections to historical events. It has been proposed that stones, being a common and long lasting natural material, were naturally used as seats and were associated with monarchs. Over time, that association evolved to make these stones equal to the sacredness of a monarch. Many of
52-644: A freak storm off the County Antrim coast in which all perished. The stone remained in Scotland, which is why Murtagh MacEirc is recorded in history as the last Irish King to be crowned on it. However, historian William Forbes Skene commented: "It is somewhat remarkable that while the Scottish legend brings the stone at Scone from Ireland, the Irish legend brings the stone at Tara from Scotland." The Dindsenchas , recording
78-505: A number of prose commentaries and independent prose tales (the so-called "prose dindsenchas " is often distinguished from the "verse", "poetic" or "metrical dindsenchas "). As a compilation the dindsenchas has survived in two different recensions . The first recension is found in the Book of Leinster , a manuscript of the 12th century, with partial survivals in a number of other manuscript sources. The text shows signs of having been compiled from
104-586: A number of provincial sources and the earliest poems date from at least the 11th century. The second recension survives more or less intact in thirteen different manuscripts, mostly dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. This recension contains a number of poems composed after the Book of Leinster text. Dindsenchas stories are also incorporated into saga texts such as Táin Bó Cúailnge and Acallam na Senórach . Although they are known today from these written sources,
130-633: A tradition from early Irish literature and echoing ancient legends, reports that Lia Fáil would roar in the presence of a false king pretending to hold dominion in Ireland. According to one version of Gaelic Myth surrounding the Lia Fáil stone, a myth more associated with the Stone of Scone, the sacred stone arrived by ship belonging to the Iberian Danaan into the ancient port of Carrickfergus about 580 BC. On board
156-550: A treasure from each city – the four legendary treasures of Ireland. From Falias came the Lia Fáil . The other three treasures are the Claíomh Solais or Sword of Light, the Sleá Bua or Spear of Lugh and the Coire Dagdae or The Dagda's Cauldron . Some Scottish chroniclers, such as John of Fordun and Hector Boece from the thirteenth century, treat the Lia Fáil
182-646: A whitish granitoid . There are several different, and conflicting, legends in Irish mythology describing how the Lia Fáil is said to have been brought to Ireland. The Lebor Gabala , dating to the eleventh century, states that it was brought in antiquity by the semi-divine race known as the Tuatha Dé Danann . The Tuatha Dé Danann had travelled to the "Northern Isles" where they learned many skills and magic in its four cities Falias, Gorias, Murias and Findias. From there they travelled to Ireland bringing with them
208-437: Is a class of onomastic text in early Irish literature , recounting the origins of place-names and traditions concerning events and characters associated with the places in question. Since many of the legends being related also concern the acts of mythic and legendary figures, the dindsenchas has been an important source for the study of Irish mythology . The literary corpus of the dindsenchas comprises about 176 poems plus
234-476: Is also known as the Stone of Destiny or Speaking Stone . According to legend, all of the kings of Ireland were crowned on the stone up to Muirchertach mac Ercae , c. 500 AD . Archibald Geikie noted resemblances to the calcareous red sandstone of which the Stone of Scone is composed; it is not currently believed the stones originated from connected quarry sites. It has also been identified as
260-587: Is an example. The fianna [warrior-band] of the Fenian Cycle , though usually simply "the Fianna", was sometimes poetically called Fianna Fáil "Fianna of Ireland". Hence Fianna Fáil was a sobriquet for modern Irish nationalist militias; for the Irish Volunteers it was an Irish-language alternative to Óglaigh na hÉireann , and the initials FF used on their cap badge have been retained on that of
286-575: Is from this stone the Tuatha Dé Danann metonymically named Ireland Inis Fáil ("island of Fál"), and from this Fál became an ancient name for Ireland. The stone in turn by reverse metonymy was named Lia Fáil "[Standing] Stone of Ireland". Inisfail appears as a synonym for Erin in some Irish romantic and nationalist poetry in English in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; Aubrey Thomas de Vere 's 1863 poem Inisfail
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#1732851200581312-504: Is given as part of Connaught suggesting a date before ~610 AD and the Battle of Knocklong. Christian references, and the Graeco-Roman myths and tales of Pagan atrocity associated with that influence are also mostly absent. Knowledge of the real or putative history of local places formed an important part of the education of the elite in ancient Ireland. This formed part of the training of
338-663: Is rendered "Soldiers of Destiny". Sometime in June 2012, the stone was damaged by a hammer in 11 places. It was vandalised again in May 2014 when green and red paint was poured on the stone covering at least 50% of its surface. The stone was vandalised again c. 6–7 February 2023 when the word "Fake" was spray painted on the stone. Dindsenchas Dindsenchas or Dindshenchas (modern spellings: Dinnseanchas or Dinnsheanchas or Dınnṡeanċas ), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word dinnseanchas means " topography "),
364-466: The Stone of Scone still holds a symbolic place in the United Kingdom and Scotland . As a result of nationalist contentions, this coronation stone has been the center of controversies, even resulting in its theft in 1950, though it was returned. The Stone of Scone has been slated for use again in the coronation ceremony of Charles III . This has resulted in further controversy about its veracity and
390-458: The dindsenchas are clearly a product of oral literature and are structured so as to be a mnemonic aid as well as a form of entertainment. They are far from an accurate history of how places came to be named. Many of the explanations given are made to fit the name and not the other way around, especially in the many cases where a place was much older than the Middle Irish spoken at the time of
416-726: The dindshenchas may well have grown by accretion from local texts compiled in schools as a way of teaching about places in their area. Edward Gwynn compiled and translated dindsenchas poems from the Lebor na hUidre , the Book of Leinster , the Rennes Manuscript , the Book of Ballymote , the Great Book of Lecan and the Yellow Book of Lecan in The Metrical Dindshenchas , published in four parts between 1903 and 1924, with
442-636: The coronation of Brian Boru in 1002. Fáil or Fàil is a word of various meanings, including "fatal ", of the same etymology as English fate , used interchangeably with destiny . The stone was originally called Fál , a word of obscure meaning; the Dictionary of the Irish Language distinguishes the word from five homonyms in Old Irish and Middle Irish , which have respective meanings "barrier", "chieftain", "abundance", "learning", and "valley". It
468-656: The coronation stones in the British Isles claim to share a common origin, specifically the Lia Fail and Stone of Scone , though this is disputed among sources. In Europe, there are many recorded instances of coronation ceremonies being conducted with these stones. Outside of Europe, there are mentions of special stones being used by rulers for their coronation ceremonies, such as the Kök Tash, Etai Odidem/Ntui, and Vatubulia. While most of these coronation stones are no longer in use,
494-490: The current Irish Army . In Amhrán na bhFiann ["The Soldier's Song"], the republic's national anthem, the opening "Soldiers are We" is translated " Sinne Fianna Fáil ". For similar reasons, Fianna Fáil is the name of a major political party in the republic. The identification of the Lia Fáil with the Scottish "Stone of Destiny" has fostered the misapprehension that "Fá[i]l" means "[of] Destiny", and hence Fianna Fáil
520-589: The invasion of the Babylonians. It is said all future Irish High Kings/British Monarchs inaugurated by the stone have tried to prove lineage back to the Royal Sage and his wife, Tea Tephi, the original bearers of the stone. Eochaidh's resting place is said to be in the Neolithic passage tomb, Cairn T at Loughcrew . The Lia Fáil was thought to be magical : when the rightful High King of Ireland put his feet on it,
546-430: The military, for whom a knowledge of the landscape was essential. It was also essential knowledge for the bardic caste, who were expected to recite poems answering questions on place name origins as part of their professional duties. An early example of this are the tales about Mongán mac Fíachnai which date from at least as early as 750, where the poet Forgoll is asked to recite the lore of different places. Consequently,
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#1732851200581572-628: The place that a coronation stone has in a modern monarchy. Lia F%C3%A1il The Fál ( Irish: [fˠaːlˠ] ) or Lia Fáil ( Irish: [ˌl̠ʲiə ˈfˠaːlʲ] ; "Stone of Fál") is a stone at the Inauguration Mound ( Irish : an Forrad ) on the Hill of Tara in County Meath , Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the King of Tara and hence High King of Ireland . It
598-410: The poems' composition. In other cases, the dindsenchas poets may have invented names for places when the name of a place, if it had one, was not known to them. A detailed analysis points to a pre-Christian origin for most of the tales. For example, many placenames appear which had fallen out of use by the 5th century A.D., when Irish written records began to appear in quantity. Furthermore County Clare
624-633: The same as the Stone of Scone in Scotland. According to this account, the Lia Fáil left Tara in AD 500 when the High King of Ireland Murtagh MacEirc loaned it to his great-uncle, Fergus (later known as Fergus the Great) for the latter's coronation in Scotland. Fergus's sub-kingdom, Dalriada , had by this time expanded to include the north-east part of Ulster and parts of western Scotland. Not long after Fergus's coronation in Scotland, he and his inner circle were caught in
650-457: The stone was said to roar in joy. The stone is also credited with the power to rejuvenate the king and also to endow him with a long reign. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn , Cúchulainn split it with his sword when it failed to cry out under his protégé, Lugaid Riab nDerg — from then on it never cried out again, except under Conn of the Hundred Battles and according to legend, at
676-576: Was Eochaidh , son of a High King and a descendant of Érimón , Princess Tea Tephi and the scribe Simon Brauch. Princess Tea also had in her possession an ancient harp, whose origins some believe lie in the House of David. The stone was delivered to the Hill of Tara by the three. Scota later married High King Eochaidh, both had previously met each other in Jerusalem. Eochaidh recovered the ancient stone in Jerusalem before
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